FW: balance and good posture are Key

 

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Balance and good posture are key Avril Coakley For the Ruidoso Newsruidosonews.com

Posted:   02/14/2012 02:39:31 PM MST

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Sit up straight! Stand up straight! Those comments made by parents when I was growing up were all good stuff.

Good posture, coordination and balance are all essential skills for your well being and fitness level. A well-developed sensory-motor system - let's talk about it.

It is absolutely necessary for one to incorporate specific functional exercises that challenge the body's nervous system to improve sensory-motor function whether you're an athlete or just a person that might like to stay active with their children, grandchildren, play golf and/or garden on the weekends.

When you have control over your body placement in space, you have a heightened awareness of where everything is at all times. You are able to easily bend over, balance on one leg, lift a light box and put it on a shelf.

You are able to easily navigate steps, and run through challenging hillside terrain if you like. You have freedom to reach new heights and take your living experience to the new level.

Proprioception refers to a sense of joint positioning requiring a sensory understanding that depends on a strong relationship between the brain, spinal cord & peripheral nerves, and the muscle/joint receptors of the body.

Good proprioceptive ability enables the body to continually adapt to where it's positioned in space which allows you to respond appropriately to changes in the environment.

For example, if one is walking on pavement and then suddenly the pavement ends and suddenly you are walking on sand.

That environmental change requires a sensory motor response that triggers a change in the way you would walk on that different terrain. If one has proper control over balance and coordination a quick and safe response happens almost without thinking.

Another example would be dropping soap in the shower. Falls in the shower happen to be one of the most commonly hospitalized household injuries. As you bend down to pick up the soap, the body braces itself for the dynamic changes the slippery surface and unusual position are demanding.

Someone with a less developed proprioceptive system will have more trouble and have a greater risk of falling. Often times this individual will wisely not even attempt to pick up the soap.

Think back with me to when you were a kid. Do you remember some of the things we used to challenge each other to do?

Things like "how long can you hop on one foot?" or "who can walk on the edge of the sidewalk the longest without falling off?"

Fun activities like these helped us to develop our balance and stability and to survive our youthful clumsiness.

Today, top athletes in the world recognize that balance training helps them to perform better in their sports and fitness experts know that good balance and a strong core go hand in hand.

You don't have to be a world-class athlete to add a little balance training to your daily routine or workouts.

There are plenty of simple exercises you can do at the gym or at home that will improve your balance significantly and it is strongly advised for optimal performance and quality of life.

Quick Balance Test

Here is a good test to evaluate your own balance. Stand up and imagine you're going to walk forward on a straight line, placing one foot directly in front of the other so that the heel of your front foot touches the toes of your back foot.

Keep both feet flat on the floor. Hold that position and close your eyes. If you can maintain your balance for 30 seconds, you are doing pretty well. If you are wobbling just about as soon as you close your eyes-or before-your balance is poor.

If you would like to take steps to improve balance, posture and coordination, there are several things you can do.

Consult an allied healthcare professional such as a personal trainer, physical therapist or chiropractor especially if you have been sedentary for a prolonged period of time. You can take a group fitness class that focuses on this type of training such as yoga, modern dance, Pilates, Tai Chi, or Body Flow(tm).

Balance and coordination exercises are also available on reputable websites and fitness books.

No matter which way you choose to incorporate balance training into your lifestyle, please always make sure that exercise are done with proper form and technique.

 

 

 

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